Permission
by Crystal Manning
Summary: Anthony doesn't show affection towards Rose. She has had enough and demands to know why that is if cooties isn't the culprit. One-shot.


"Anthony, I don't get it."

"Well, that's not new news."

Rose rolled her eyes and slapped Anthony's arm. Chuckling he closed the book he had been reading and set it aside on the couch. He shifted his body so he could look at her properly, doing his best not to knock her legs off of his lap. He clasped his hands together and rest them on his stomach. "Sorry, I'm listening," he said. "Honest. What's gotten you confused? Not that that's not normal."

He earned another slap for that one and a pout quickly followed suit. He rubbed his arm and smiled innocently at the red-head. She stuck her tongue out at him and rested her elbow on the fluffy seat-back cushion of the couch. "This is serious," she said, tilting her head and resting it against her palm.

His eyebrows lifted. "Oh? Okay, what is it?"

"Why won't you touch me?" She demanded.

Anthony's eyes widened as a deep blush settled into his cheeks. Surely she didn't mean her question the way it sounded but, still, Anthony's mind wandered. He couldn't help it, being eighteen and only now going through the experience of having his first girlfriend. He tried to stop the thoughts that plagued his mind before bed or whenever he had a moment to himself, but he found it to be harder than he expected with Rose's innocent nature.

"I…er…_what_? Come again?" Anthony stammered.

"Why won't you touch me?" Rose repeated. She lifted her chin in the direction of her legs stretching across his lap. "Rather, why do you always ask before you touch me? You ask if you can hold my hand. You ask if you can kiss me. You even ask to move hair out of my face. I'm not against you just doing them. The kissing especially." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I like that part. A lot. There's something to be said about spontaneity."

Anthony ave a nervous smile and tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Oh. That. Well, um…"

Rose lifted an eyebrow. "You don't think I have cooties do you?"

"No, of course not! It's just…" He sighed and pressed his lips together. He sighed again and tugged at his collar one more. "Okay. So, my mum…she taught me that no one—no man—should ever touch a girl. That is without their consent. And I-I didn't know what was okay and what wasn't. I'm still new to this and I don't want to mess it up. I like you a lot, Zellie, and if it takes a billion baby steps to get to a new level of our relationship then, well, I'm not against the journey."

He peeked up at her from beneath his eyelashes. Her face was blank, void of any emotion. His heart began to race and he thought back to see if he had said something wrong. But then his thoughts stopped altogether when he felt her kiss his cheek again. He received a soft kiss on the lips when he turned his head which made him smile his goofy smile that always appeared whenever she was around.

"What'd I say?" He asked.

"You said everything absolutely perfect," she replied. "I think you became ten times more attractive to me just now."

His smile widened. He had only explained how he had been raised but she was reacting a if he were some rare diamond in the world. It made his stomach clench for a moment, wondering if no one else thought the same way he did. It was common sense to him. Then again he knew that there were people out there that were different than him, Michael especially was a prime example. His mouth twisted to the side and he silently vowed not to end up like Michael. Not seeing that look on Rose's face anymore wasn't worth it.

He shrugged. "It's just…how I feel. I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Rose grabbed his hands in hers and placed them atop her bare knees. "I'm not uncomfortable at all," she responded. "I do find you asking for permission cute sometimes. Just…stop asking for kisses, okay? I'm not going to bite your head off if the urge becomes too strong. In fact, I'd welcome it with open arms. Or, lips, in this case."

Anthony lightly curled his fingers against her skin. His cheeks began to hurt from smiling so much. "I'll keep that mind."


End file.
